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By Paul Gorst

The country's football officials hand out tough sanctions to a host of players after a disciplinary investigation dating back to 2011, with Fifa extending the ban worldwide

The Korea Football Association (KFA) has given a lifetime ban to 41 players after a match-fixing scandal.

The enquiry by the K-League and Korean FA dates back to the summer of 2011, with over three dozen players found to have been involved in the fixing.

The world governing body Fifa has also extended the ban to apply worldwide, meaning no player caught up in the scandal can transfer overseas.

However, as many as 21 of the players turned themselves in to officials during the investigation, and they have now been offered the chance to return to the game following a probation that is believed to be between two and five years.

The voluntary probation means that any player wishing to return to football must inform the K-League of their intentions before undergoing periods of community service ranging from 200 to 500 hours.

The community service activities vary from coaching local football classes to support for those with disabilities in football and the continued involvement in anti-match-fixing initiatives.

Any player who is to be reinstated will be decided solely by the KFA, following monthly reports on their respective community service activities.